Author's Introductions in Stories

[dr_mabeuse]

It seems to me that I've been seeing more authors writing introductions to their stories lately. I don't know if I just never noticed it before or whether the practice is becoming more common.

You know what I mean: usually it's just a little italicized blurb, a paragraph. It might be "This is a true story!" or a request for feedback or even a disclaimer, but if it's good it might tell you something about why they wrote the story or where the idea came from, or maybe even what they were trying to do in the story. Personally, I like it. I like to know what an author thinks of something they've written.

Anyone else have any comments on this practice?

---dr.M.

 

[Stefan_J]

I have to admit Dr. M. that i do it, but i don't really know why. I always enjoyed reading other authors' little notes to the reader so i guess i just followed suit. Maybe it's because the reader senses that a real person wrote the story and they feel a little bit more connected to the writer, it isn't just some nameless person that wrote it, but someone with a voice.

 

[Guest]

I like it.

I haven't submitted a story for six months because of personal family reasons. When I finally am able to get back to writing smut for Literotica, I plan to include a brief paragraph explaining my long absence.

I think it does a good job of bringing the reader closer to the author.

 

[Uther_Pendragon]

Like the USSC justices say, I repectfully dissent.
|
Anybody who doesn't see that what I write is *fiction* is
seriously weird. But, while they're reading the story, I
want them to experience it as a slice of life. I think
this experience is spoiled by an introduction telling what
led me to write the story.
|
Everything that I write is true, nothing that I write is
factual.

 

[Alex De Kok]

I used to, with a rote form of wording about how it was a work of fiction, but tend not to now. If the tale is linked to an earlier one I will usually add a note to that effect. I also like to thank my editor, if the piece has been edited. My dialect piece has an introduction, as I felt I needed to explain what I was attempting.

I almost always add a footnote thanking the reader for making it that far, and suggesting feedback and votes as my 'fee'. Sometimes it even works!

Alex

 

[sanchopanza]

i write disclaimers - just say that everything that happened is true, except the bits involving people you know which i made up, unless they asked me to be put into the story, in which case its all true, but its all a work of fiction - just a response to a bunch of girls who asked me to write a story about them but didn't want their names in it, i think they just wanted the characters to be based on them

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I have used an authors note on a couple of occasions. One with a story inspired from the story ideas thread, to give credit to the guys who brought it up and helped develop the idea and one where the story veered significantly from my normal work. As a note to fans that it might not be what they expected from me.

If I post the story I have in the SDC I will defintely make a note, not only of those who helped, but also of the fact it's dark and may not be for everyone due to content.

-Colly

 

[gauchecritic]

Neither for nor against. The only story I ever wrote a 'blurb' for was to include a little extra humour.

Gauche

 

[pop_54]

Hmmmmm

Never put an intro into a tale yet, just the odd footnote more for a piss take than serious.

 

[Icingsugar]

I tend to write little notes saying very little more than "Hi, I hope you enjoy this." Pretty redundant actually. But a little reminder that feedback is extra appreciated actually seems to have the desired effect.

 

[flawed_ethics]

I'd prefer to leave story insights to the Profile page.

I don't care much for 'This story is true!' exclamations, since I've read enough stories that are so awful in writing and content (i.e. illegal) that I take all erotic stories to be fiction.

The idea of Author insight is a bonus though. Again, I'd rather leave it to a Profile page, since it is likely most readers won't care for the author's insight, but rather dig into the story itself. Erotica is odd like that, to me anyway. When it comes to getting it on, I don't care much for artistic interpretation.

Besides, if I want extra insight, I can always e-mail the author, or start a thread on the boards to discuss it with others.

 

[flawed_ethics]

eek! Curse of the double post. A thousand pardon!

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Author introductions, unless completely justifiable (to make short references to the story being part of a series if it isn't obvious from the title, for example) score very highly in my Backclick Trigger list.

MacLeish said that 'if a poem can be improved by its author's explanations, it never should have been published.' I tend to think the same about stories.